The  Influenza  and  the 
United  War  Work 
Campaign 


Bulletin  XIII 
United  War  Work  Campaign 
for  $170,500,000 
November  11-18,  1918 


SERIES  OF  CAMPAIGN  BULLETINS 

I.  Organization  in  the  City,  Large  or  Small 
II.  Organization  in  the  County 
III.  Preparation  and  Assignment  of  Lists 
IV.  Victory  Boys 
V.  Victory  Girls 
VI.  The  Campaign  among  Students 
VII.  The  Campaign  in  Industries 
VIII.  Publicity  Organization  and  Distribution 
IX.  Meetings:  How  to  Plan  and  Conduct 
X.  Campaign  in  Army  and  Navy  Camps 
XI.  Collection,  Custody,  and  Forwarding  of  Funds 

XII.  The  Precinct  Plan 

XIII.  The  Influenza  and  the  United  War  Work  Campaign 

XIV.  Why  We  Need  Much  More  Than  $170,500,000 


Issued  by  the 
OFFICE  OF  THE  DIRECTOR  GENERAL 
347  Madison  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


The  Influenza  and  the  United  War  Work 
Campaign 

JOHN  R.  MOTT 
Director  General  of  the  United  War  Work  Campaign 

In  some  quarters  the  question  has  been  raised,  Will  the  Campaign 
be  deferred  because  of  the  widespread  epidemic  of  influenza?  The 
General  Committee,  composed  of  five  leaders  of  each  of  the  seven 
organizations  which  have  united  for  the  coming  Campaign,  have 
decided,  after  careful  consideration  and  after  wide  consultation  to 
adhere  to  the  original  date  and  to  conduct  the  drive  as  planned,  No- 
vember nth  to  18th.  It  is  recognized  that  the  epidemic  constitutes  a 
handicap  but  the  disadvantages  of  putting  off  the  Campaign  outweigh 
any  apparent  advantages  of  such  delay.  It  will  be  necessary  for  the 
leaders  and  workers  everywhere  to  put  forth  added  energy  and  to  exer- 
cise their  best  judgment  and  ingenuity  in  adapting  plans  to  meet  the 
changed  conditions.  The  following  considerations  and  recommenda- 
tions may  be  suggestive: 

1.  The  Fourth  Liberty  Loan  Campaign,  by  far  the  most  stupendous 
undertaking  of  its  kind  in  the  history  of  the  world,  has  been  carried 
through  to  a  successful  issue  in  the  midst  of  the  same  epidemic  and 
also  in  a  time  of  unsettling  peace  rumors. 

2.  The  fact  that  many  public  meetings  are  not  permitted  may  not 
be  without  its  advantages.  It  leaves  people  more  time  to  read,  to 
think,  and  to  decide.  Time  is  required  to  face  up  to  large  oppor- 
tunities and  to  devise  liberal  things. 

3.  More  effective  use  should  be  made  of  the  printed  page  to  help 
offset  the  lack  of  big  meetings.  Local  publicity  committees  and 
campaign  workers  in  general  should  plan  with  this  definitely  in  mind. 
Let  them  not  depend  alone  or  chiefly  on  national,  department,  and 
state  headquarters  for  printed  matter,  but  make  larger  use  of  local 
space  and  local  talent. 

4.  Study  how  to  effect  a  great  increase  in  the  amount  of  personal 
solicitation.  Whether  there  is  an  epidemic  or  not,  this  is  the  method 
of  securing  the  largest  subscriptions  and  the  largest  number  of  sub- 
scribers. This  was  the  secret  of  rolling  up  in  these  recent  influenza 
days  the  phenomenal  list  of  over  20,000,000  subscribers.  It  explains 
the  even  greater  number  of  subscribers  in  the  Second  Red  Cross  Cam- 
paign a  few  months  ago.  It  is  not  without  its  encouragement  to 
remember  that  the  very  prevalence  of  the  epidemic  means  that  many 
people  can  more  readily  be  found  at  home  than  under  normal  condi- 
tions, also  that  many  will  have  more  time  to  give  to  personal  solici- 
tation. 


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5.  Moreover,  because  of  the  handicap  occasioned  by  the  epidemic, 
many  a  man  who  had  planned  to  give  one  third  of  his  time  to  pro- 
moting the  Campaign  will  now  be  willing  to  devote  two  thirds  of 
his  time  to  this  patriotic  object  rather  than  to  sec  it  fail.  Men  will 
see  that  their  unselfish  and  generous  cooperation  is  absolutely  essen- 
tial. 

6.  While  state  and  municipal  health  regulations  may  prevent  the 
holding  of  mass  meetings  or  public  gatherings  of  any  kind,  they  will 
not  interfere  with  countless  little  groups  of  from  two  to  seven  or 
eight  coming  together  at  all  hours  of  day  or  night  to  consider  the 
claims  of  this  important  national  and  international  object.  There 
is  not  a  town  large  or  small  in  which  influential  citizens  cannot  invite 
a  few  men  to  luncheon  or  dinner  in  their  homes,  or  to  their  offices  and 
there  appeal  to  them  for  generous  subscriptions.  Experience  shows 
that  these  small  informal  groups  yield  many  of  the  largest  gifts.  If  the 
epidemic  leads  us  to  rely  less  on  great  mass  meetings  and  more  on 
spreading  a  veritable  network  of  these  face-to-face  and  heart-to-heart 
conferences  of  from  two  to  five  or  ten  men  each,  it  will  result  in  larger 
financial  returns  than  might  have  been  secured  under  normal  condi- 
tions. 

7.  As  the  people  cannot  come  together  on  Sundays  of  other  days 
for  religious  services,  this  leaves  much  valuable  time  free.  Wise  plan- 
ning will  result  in  preempting  much  of  it  for  the  informal  little  group 
meetings  indicated  above,  and  for  very  profitable  personal  solicitation. 

8.  Much  of  the  time  that  would  ordinarily  be  spent  in  working  up 
and  attending  great  meetings  may  be  spent  to  splendid  advantage  in 
thinking  out  and  giving  effect  to  plans  to  secure  large  gifts  from 
firms,  companies,  and  corporations.  It  takes  thought  to  determine 
the  lines  along  which  influence  can  best  be  exerted  and  to  bring  that 
influence  to  bear.  One  successful  solicitation  of  this  kind  may  be 
the  equivalent  of  one  hundred  popular  subscriptions  secured  as  the 
result  of  a  big  meeting. 

9.  Chief  thought  and  eff"ort  and  the  greatest  influences  should  be 
concentrated  on  reaching  the  comparatively  small  proportion  of  the 
people  in  the  community  who  give  by  far  the  largest  part  in  every 
popular  subscription.  In  a  recent  campaign  in  a  small  city  about 
13,000  subscribers  gave  over  $500,000,  but  ninety-two  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  amount  came  from  fewer  than  1,300  persons.  A  study  of  many 
canvasses  in  cities  large  and  small  has  revealed  the  fact  that  fully  seven 
eighths  of  the  money  secured  came  in  each  case  from  about  one 
eighth  of  the  subscribers.  It  might  be  added  that  those  who  subscribe 
the  largest  amounts  are  not,  as  a  rule,  reached  by  public  meetings. 
Nothing  in  this  statement  should  be  construed  as  minimizing  the 
necessity  and  importance  of  securing  in  every  community  as  large 
a  number  as  possible  of  small  subscriptions  from  those  who  are  unable 
to  give  more. 


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10.  In  some  communities  where  weather  conditions  are  favorable  it 
will  be  possible  to  hold  meetings  in  the  open  air.  This  plan  was  fre- 
quently  employed  in  the  recent  Liberty  Loan  Campaign. 

11.  In  a  time  like  this  when  so  much  of  the  work  will  have  to  be 
done  by  personal  solicitation,  larger  use  than  ever  should  be  made  of 
automobiles.  Iowa  is  a  rural  state  and  has  learned  the  value  of  this 
method.  No  matter  how  much  the  epidemic  may  spread  in  that  state, 
the  Ford  will  carry  its  people  over  their  goal  for  a  large  oversub- 
scription. 


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Why  We  Need 
Much  MoreThan  $170,500,000 


Bulletin  XIV 
United  War  Work  Campaign 
for  $170,500,000 

November  11-18,  1918 


SERIES  OF  CAMPAIGN  BULLETINS 

I.  Organization  in  the  City,  Large  or  Small 
II.  Organization  in  the  County 

III.  Preparation  and  Assignment  of  Lists 

IV.  Victory  Boys 
V.  Victory  Girls 

VI.  The  Campaign  among  Students 
VII.  The  Campaign  in  Industries 
VIII.  Publicity  Organization  and  Distribution 
IX.  Meetings:  How  to  Plan  and  Conduct 
X.  Campaign  in  Army  and  Navy  Camps 
XI.  Collection,  Custody,  and  Forwarding  of  Funds 

XII.  The  Precinct  Plan 

XIII.  The  Influenza  and  the  United  War  Work  Campaign 

XIV.  Why  We  Need  Much  More  Than  $170,500,000 


I 


Issued  by  the 
OFFICE  OF  THE  DIRECTOR  GENERAL 
347  Madison  Avenue,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Why  We  Need  Much  More  Than  $170,500,000 

JOHN  R.  MOTT 
Director  General  of  the  United  War  Work  Campaign 

1.  Because  of  the  remarkable  increase  of  the  American  Army  and 
of  its  inevitable  continued  increase.  The  budgets  of  at  least  three 
of  the  seven  organizations  uniting  in  the  forthcoming  Campaign  were 
based  on  data  assembled  last  spring,  when  it  was  thought  there  vi^ould 
be  not  more  than  1,000,000  American  soldiers  in  France  by  November 
first.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  number  there  by  that  date  will  be 
2,000,000.  When  those  budgets  were  made,  moreover,  it  was  thought 
that  the  total  number  of  American  soldiers  on  both  sides  of  the  At- 
lantic by  next  summer  would  not  exceed  3,000,000,  whereas  our  mil- 
itary leaders  are  now  preparing  for  an  American  Army,  before  the 
end  of  next  summer,  of  between  4,000,000  and  5,000,000. 

2.  Because  of  the  marvelous  expansion  of  the  American  Navy. 
When  America  entered  the  War,  we  had  less  than  70,000  men  in  the 
Navy.  There  are  now  over  600,000  sailors  and  marines  and  the  num- 
ber will  be  further  greatly  increased.  Relatively,  the  organizations 
which  are  uniting  in  their  Campaign  have  neglected  the  Navy,  but  it 
is  their  desire  to  help  this  arm  of  the  service  as  much  as  any  other, 
and  therefore  a  much  larger  sum  of  money  will  be  needed  for  this  pur- 
pose than  is  now  included  in  their  respective  budgets. 

3.  Because  this  war,  unlike  others,  is  not  alone  a  war  of  armies 
and  navies,  but  a  war  of  entire  peoples.  In  particular,  it  involves  vast 
numbers  of  the  industrial  classes.  Since  our  financial  plans  were 
announced,  the  claims  of  these  industrial  classes  at  home  and  overseas 
have  been  pressed  upon  us,  and  it  has  been  made  clear  that  we  must 
augment  greatly  our  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  millions  of  men  and 
women  at  work  in  arsenals,  in  navy  yards,  and  in  countless  rriilitarized 
and  other  indispensable  war  industries. 

4.  Because  the  burden  of  this  war  falls  so  heavily  upon  the  women 
of  America  and  of  the  Allies.  They  have  taken  the  places  of  multi- 
tudes of  men  engaged  in  ordinary  occupations  and  have  thus  released 
millions  for  the  fighting  forces.  They  are  also  largely  engaged  in 
making  munitions  and  in  other  essential  war  industries.  The  facts 
concerning  the  needs  of  women  affected  by  war  conditions  convince 
us  that  a  much  larger  financial  provision  should  be  made  on  their 
behalf  than  the  budgets  of  our  organizations  contemplate. 

5.  Because  of  the  comprehensiveness  of  the  ministry  being  rendered 
the  American  Army  and  Navy  and  the  forces  of  our  Allies.  It  is 
the  aim  of  these  agencies  to  place  at  the  disposal  of  our  soldiers  and 


2 


sailors  all  that  is  best  in  American  life.  We  represent  to  them  the 
American  home,  the  American  school  and  college,  the  American 
library,  the  American  forum,  the  best  phases  of  American  club  life, 
the  finest  aspects  of  the  American  stage,  and  above  all  the  American 
Churches  and  Synagogues.  This  is  a  colossal  program  and  calls  for 
a  large  expenditure  of  money — an  expenditure  necessarily  increasing 
with  the  growth  of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

6.  Because  of  the  continuity  of  the  service  we  are  seeking  to  render. 
We  aim  to  follow  the  soldiers  and  sailors  from  the  time  they  leave 
their  homes,  while  they  are  in  transit,  while  they  are  at  the  training 
camps,  large  and  small,  while  they  are  on  their  way  to  the  ports  of 
embarkation,  as  well  as  at  those  ports,  while  they  are  on  the  sea, 
during  their  stay  at  the  ports  of  debarkation,  during  their  experiences 
in  further  training  overseas,  in  the  zone  of  combat  including  the  front 
line  trenches,  while  they  are  at  leave  resorts  or  in  the  hospitals  or  in 
the  prison  camps,  and  then  all  the  way  back  to  their  homes.  The 
volume  of  expenditure  necessarily  grows  with  the  steady  enlargement 
of  the  fighting  forces. 

7.  Because  of  the  imperative  need  of  placing  all  these  helpful  facili- 
ties at  the  service  of  the  French  Army  of  4,000,000,  of  the  Italian  Army 
of  3,000,000,  and  of  the  smaller  but  very  important  armies  of  Russia, 
of  Bcleium,  of  Portugal,  of  Macedonia,  of  Palestine,  of  Mesopotamia, 
and  of  Egypt.  The  claims  of  these  Allied  Armies  were  not  sufficiently 
recognized  in  the  framing  of  our  budgets. 

8.  Because  of  the  indescribable  need  of  the  millions  of  prisoners  of 
war,  who  must  look  to  us  solely  for  a  comprehensive  program  in  the 
interest  of  their  physical,  mental,  social,  and  moral  well-being.  . 

9.  Even  though  the  War  were  to  end  within  a  few  months,  or  a 
few  weeks,  we  should  stand  in  great  need  of  a  fund  of  more  than  $170,- 
500,000,  because  this  work,  ulike  that  of  many  other  agencies, 
will  have  to  be  continued  throughout  the  entire  period  of  de- 
mobilization. While  in  Europe,  I  was  told  by  military  authorities 
that  it  will  require  a  period  of  fifteen  months  from  the  time  that  the 
conflict  ceases  to  transport  the  Canadian  Army  to  their  homes,  and 
that  it  will  call  for  not  less  than  eighteen  months  to  convey  the  armies 
of  Australia  and  New  Zealand  homeward.  Without  doubt  it  will  take 
not  less  than  twelve  months  to  bring  our  American  Army  home.  Dur- 
ing that  long  period  they  will  have  virtually  alL  their  time  on  their 
hands.  They  will  not  have  the  excitement  and  the  incitement  of 
the  war  period  to  stimulate  their  spirits  or  its  intense  activities  to 
absorb  their  attention  and  utilize  their  time.  Their  temptations  will 
be  more  numerous  and  persistent.  There  will  be  a  tendency  to  let 
down  standards  and  relax  discipline.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  plans  be  made  for  the  wise  use  of  their  leisure  hours.  The 
practical  and  significant  question  is,  Shall  our  men  and  boys  come  back 
to  us  weaker  or  stronger  men?    The  period  of  demobilization  should 


3 


not  be  allowed  to  become  a  period  of  demoralization  but  rather  should 
be  made  one  of  growth  in  knowledge  and  working  efficiency  and  of 
strengthening  of  character  and  life  purposes.  The  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  and  tlie  other  organizations  are  planning  not  only  to 
enlarge  their  recreational  program  during  this  period,  but  to  launch  a 
great  educational  campaign.  In  popular  language  it  may  be  described 
as  "The  University  in  Khaki."  An  Army  Educational  Commission 
composed  of  a  group  of  the  leading  educators  of  America 
has  been  sent  overseas.  They  have  asked  for  two  thousand  professors 
and  teachers  of  American  colleges  and  schools  to  help  in  launching 
educational  work  for  the  coming  winter,  and  also  to  be  on  hand  for 
the  period  of  demobilization,  whenever  it  comes.  We  have  entered 
into  negotiations  with  the  British  and  French  universities  to  help  us 
in  this  vast  educational  undertaking.  One  may  judge  of  the  great 
dimensions  of  the  enterprise  from  the  fact  that  it  will  require  at 
least  $8,000,000  for  textbooks  and  books  of  reference  for  the  coming 
winter  alone.  It  ought  to  be  added  that  no  provision  is  made  for 
this  educational  program  in  the  budget  of  $170,500,000  and  therefore 
in  itself  this  plan  affords  a  further  reason  why  we  must  have  a  large 
oversubscription. 

10.  If  there  were  no  other  reason,  there  should  be  a  large  over- 
subscription in  order  to  meet  promptly  and  effectively  emergencies 
and  crises  which  are  sure  to  come.  If  you  take  away  from  war  the 
unexpected,  the  surprises,  the  calamities,  the  emergencies,  the  crises, 
you  take  away  war. 


4 


